The Rodon Blog - A Focus on Plastic Injection Molding and American Manufacturing

In a recent Q&A, Ray Merritt — a toolmaker and moldmaker with over 50 years of experience — sat down to discuss what he does for The Rodon Group, how times have changed since he started out in the business of toolmaking and mold making, and what the industry can expect going forward.

Next Friday, October 6th is National Manufacturing Day. As a U.S. manufacturer, we are proud to be participating in this annual event for the sixth time and excited to open our doors to students and educators from local technical schools and colleges. 

As an American manufacturer and a family-owned business, we are always looking for ways to support the future of not only our company but other American manufacturers. We know the impact of STEM education on today's youth and often provide tours for high school and college students that are interested in careers in STEM related fields.  And on Manufacturing Day, we bring students in with their educators to discuss the opportunities available and give them a close up look at what it's like to work for a highly automated manufacturer. 

We have all heard about the positive impacts of manufacturing on our economy, but how much do middle and high-school students really know about pursuing these well-paid jobs? At The Rodon Group, we have put a great deal of effort into getting the word out about STEM education and the long-term careers this industry provides. 

Part of our campaign involves a national event called Manufacturing Day. This annual event began in 2012.  It was the brainchild of the Manufacturing Extension Partnership, the Fabricators and Manufacturers Association and the National Association of Manufacturers.

In its first year, the event was hosted by 200 manufacturing companies nationwide. In 2013, the event spread to over 800 manufacturing companies who conducted presentations, tours, and hands-on challenge contests.  So far, this year, nearly 1,400 have signed up, with over 65 in Pennsylvania alone.

At Rodon, we owe a great deal of our success to the work our toolmakers do. Toolmaking is one of our primary capabilities in our manufacturing process, and our team of professional toolmakers has over 25 years of experience producing high volume plastic parts.

What kind of person makes for a great toolmaker?

This highly demanding job requires dedicated individuals who possess great technical aptitude. The search for toolmakers should surely include one subset of the population: veterans.

Take a look at recent headlines and you will notice a lot of buzz about manufacturing.  Manufacturing in the United States is experiencing a renaissance along with all things made in America.  Even Wal-Mart has pledged to increase the number of U.S. made products it purchases to $250 billion by 2032.